Trauma

The Psychological Fallout: What’s “normal”? How to cope?

Traumatic events cause a wide range of psychological reactions. For example, surveys conducted in the days following the September 11 terrorist attacks suggest that a high percentage of Americans have experienced some symptoms of depression, particularly sleep disturbance and concentration difficulties, as well as increased anxiety. Reactions to traumatic events are influenced by a variety of factors including temperament, learned coping strategies, the presence and intensity of past psychological trauma, and the extent to which the individual had been directly effected by the event.

While there is no "correct" way to feel or respond, its important to remember that over a period or weeks following a traumatic event, you may experience certain, perhaps unfamiliar, "acute stress reactions" that are quite normal, even expected. These include:

Physical Reactions

Fatigue/exhaustion

Sleep disturbance

Underactivity/overactivity

Change in appetite

Digestive problems

Nightmares

Muscle tremors/twitches

Startle reactions

Headaches

Dizziness

Muscle aches

Vomiting

Cognitive Reactions

Difficulty concentrating

Difficulty solving problems

Flashbacks of the event

Difficulty making decisions

Memory disturbance

Isolation/withdrawal

Preoccupation with event

Lowered attention span

Slowed thinking

Problems naming familiar objects/people

Emotional Reactions

Overly sensitive

Feelings of helplessness

Emotional numbing

Overly sensitive

Amnesia for the event

Fear/anxiety

Self-doubt

Hypervigilance

Moodiness

Anger which may be manifested by: scapegoating, irritability, frustration with bureaucracy, violent fantasies

In addition, a period of mild to moderate depression is sometimes experienced following exposure to a stressful event or tragic loss. Symptoms of depression include:

Poor appetite

Insomnia

Lethargy/low energy

Social withdrawal/isolation

Loss of sexual drive

Difficulty concentrating

Persistent sad mood

Intrusive thoughts

Irritability

Again, these are normal reactions, and although painful, are part of the process of recovering from a loss or critical incident stress. While there is little anyone can do to take away these uncomfortable feelings, there are several things you can do to speed up the recovery process.

Things to try:

WITHIN THE FIRST 24 TO 48 HOURS, periods of strenuous physical exercise alternated with relaxation will generally alleviate some of the physical reactions.

Structure your time, keep busy, and keep your life as normal as possible.

Be aware of and avoid attempt to numb the pain with use of drugs or alcohol.

Reach out to others. Spend time with people you trust.

Help your peers by sharing feelings and checking out how they are doing.

Give yourself permission to feel rotten, and to share these feelings with others.

Keep a journal--write your way through those sleepless hours.

If these reactions seem particularly intense or debilitating, or persist beyond a few weeks, consider individual stress reactions counseling. To initiate an appointment, contact the Bowdoin College Counseling Service at 725-3145.